Bloomingfoods to Close Elm Heights Location

The board of directors and general manager of Bloomington Cooperative Services announced Tuesday night that the co-op will close its Elm Heights location in May 2016. The Elm Heights store on 2nd and Fess opened in August 2013 after several years of market surveys and research; the store has significantly underperformed since its opening.

The co-op will also move its commissary kitchen operations, currently located on South Washington Street, back into the east side and Near West Side stores later this year, a return to the co-op’s original model.

Both moves are being made for financial reasons as Bloomingfoods strives to size itself efficiently for the current and future competitive environment. Co-op leadership feels that these moves give Bloomingfoods the best opportunity to continue to serve its owners and the community as it has since 1976.

Caroline Beebe, board president, said that general manager Tony Alongi’s considerable financial skills helped the board reach a difficult agreement about what the co-op needed to do to stay in business. “Bloomingfoods is a community resource. This was a tough decision, but we think it will do the most good for the most people. It’s better to right size the business than to remain overextended and risk closing altogether.”

Concern for co-op staff is a high priority for the organization at this time. Although Bloomingfoods cannot guarantee that there will be no layoffs as a result of this consolidation, the organization is working hard to reposition staff wherever possible. Because of the timing of these moves, and some turnover due to the IU school year, it is highly likely that staff that wish to continue employment with the co-op will be able to do so. Approximately 50 people currently work at the two affected locations.

Bloomingfoods employs over 190 full and part time individuals, has annual sales of approximately $18 million and is owned by over twelve thousand members.

For more information contact Caroline Beebe, Board President, [email protected]; Tony Alongi, General Manager,(812) 339-4442, [email protected]

April 27, 2016 • Bloomington, Ind. – announcement posted to the Bloomingfoods website